Curiouser and Curiouser
by Shamisen
Summary: Written for Luka's Birthday - Natural pink hair doesn't exist here. And that slit in her skirt? Unbelievably massive. She came to the conclusion that whoever this Megurine Luka was, she definitely didn't come from around here. Curiouser and curiouser...
1. Act One: The Appearance of Megurine Luka

**Act One**

_The Appearance of Megurine Luka_

* * *

Night time was so calming.

For a few hours, everything just seemed so peaceful. No one was up, it was quiet, and…_god_, she could just feel the peace that was radiating from the gigantic full moon.

Hands in her sweater's pockets, with a pair of pale pink headphones sitting on her shoulder-length hair, slightly messy from the gentle breeze, the lone girl strolled across the deserted park near her apartment. She whistled a happy note as she observed the serenity of the scene before her, walking down the path leading to the main street with short, almost soundless steps. As soon as she crossed the street, which should be deserted by now, she would be right in front of the building which held her small abode.

It was a perfect end to an otherwise terrible day. Then again, her days were never that exciting, or likable, in the first place.

As she passed the fence that separated the grassy hills of the park from the concrete sidewalk, a most peculiar thing occurred.

Just as she stepped onto the sidewalk, she ran into someone she _knew_ wasn't there mere seconds ago.

"Oh, I'm sorry," she said, pulling her headphones down to her neck, "I didn't see you there."

"It's alright," the other woman replied, "No harm was done. But if I may, could I ask you where I am?"

The girl looked at the woman strangely due to the fact that, for a lack of better words, the woman just screamed _strange_. Her hair was long and pale pink, falling just past her waist, with brown and gold headphones over her ears. Her outfit consisted of a brown vest-like garment with an intricate gold breast ornament and a blue jewel on her neck and leaving a small part of her midriff showing. There were two bands of brown around her upper arms, with an odd detached sleeve on her right arm, starting at her elbow. The skirt she wore reached to her knees, but with a massive slit on the left side that left _very little _to the imagination. There was also a strange _03_ tattooed on her left arm.

To be fair, based on how the woman dressed, asking where she was is a very valid question.

"You're in Kingstown," she replied to the strange woman, "Just outside of Sanders."

"Kingstown…" the woman replied slowly, as if mulling over the word.

"Yeah, it's just a small town; Sanders is the big city around here," the girl shrugged and pulled her headphones back on her head, but leaving one side just behind her ear, "Anyway, I guess I should go. It's late."

"Wait, please!" the woman called out, just as the girl began to walk away, "I'm…I'm not sure where I am, or how I got here. Could you please help me?"

The girl stopped and turned to face the woman. Really, of all things, fate decided to play games with her and throw another curveball into her already chaotic life? With a sigh, she ran her hand through her brown, pulling her headphones back down to her neck as she did so. "Well, I guess I just can't leave you here dressed like that." She said, mainly to herself, "Why don't you come to my house? You could tell me whatever it is you want me to know over a cup of cocoa or something."

"Thank you, I appreciate it," the woman said and followed her as she walked into the building.

"Hey, Nattie," the security guard at the door greeted, tipping his hat towards her, "Late night walk?"

"You bet," she replied, pulling out her keys from her pants pocket as the security guard looked at the pink-haired woman that followed her.

"Who's your friend?"

Nattie looked at the woman, and then back at the security guard, "Oh, just a guest…" she said as she pulled the lobby door open. The pink-haired woman bowed slightly at the guard before following, leaving the man with a curious look on his face.

There was a silence as the two rode up the elevator.

"So, your name is Nattie?" the woman asked.

She nodded, "Yeah, its short for Natalia."

The other woman nodded slightly, "Natalia." she said, before turning and offering her single sleeved hand towards her, "My name is Luka."

"Nice to meet you," Nattie said, taking the hand and shaking it.

With a ring, the elevator stopped on the ninth floor, the doors opening to a rather narrow hallway. Nattie motioned for Luka to follow, turning to the right, and then again once they reached the corner. At the door marked 916, Nattie reached for her keys again, unlocking the door into the apartment.

The apartment itself wasn't that large; it was made for a single occupant. A small kitchen was on the left, leading into a dining area with nothing but a small, glass table and four chairs. On the right, a small hallway led to a door on the right, and another door at the end. A small couch and a television set was placed against the wall opposite of the door.

"Well, come on in," Nattie said, flicking the light on as she kicked off her shoes on the small mat by the door, "And take off your shoes; I don't like cleaning."

Luka nodded, bending down to untie the knee-high boots Nattie had just realized she had been wearing. As the pinkette did so, the brunette entered the kitchen and opened a cupboard, pulling out two mismatched mugs. Filling each cup with water, and then stirring in a cocoa mix, she placed both mugs in the microwave and set it for two minutes. The machine whirred into life as Luka finished untying her boots and placed them neatly besides Nattie's haphazardly thrown sneakers.

"Make yourself comfortable on the couch," Nattie said, removing her headphones and MP3 player from her pocket, placing them on the glass dining table. Luka walked towards the sofa, sitting on it with her right leg crossing over her left, so that the massive slit on her skirt didn't reveal anything, and placed her hands on her knees. She looked around, as if fascinated by the apartment.

"It's not much," Nattie said, noticing the look on the woman's face, "But it's enough for someone like me."

"It's very cozy," Luka replied just as the timer on the microwave alerted both women that the cocoa was finished. Nattie walked over and took the mugs, handing one to Luka as she leaned on the wall across from the sofa with her own mug.

"So," she began, blowing into the mug, "Where are you from?"

"I'm not sure."

"You're not from here, are you? No one dresses like that."

Luka gave her a curious look, "Really? I'm not sure where it is, but where I come from, many people dress like this."

Nattie tilted her head slightly, "Well, I guess everyone has their own taste in clothes. I can see someone from Europe wearing something like that. It looks kinda steampunk." She remarked, taking a sip. "Is your hair naturally like that?"

The woman nodded, "It's been pink for as long as I can remember."

"And that 03 tattoo?"

"Always been there."

"Curiouser and curiouser," the brunette mumbled slightly, "Well, what can you tell me about yourself?"

Luka paused slightly, "Well, my name is Megurine Luka, I'm somewhat positive that I'm at least twenty years old, and I think I'm bilingual."

"Megurine Luka? But you told me Luka was your name."

"It is my name. Megurine is my last name."

"And you're bilingual?"

"I think so. The words on this cup say _Coffee is my best friend_."

Nattie raised her eyebrows as Luka pointed to the non-English script written on the mug. Her cousin had gotten it on her trip to-

"Japan."

"I'm sorry?" Luka asked.

"You're from Japan," Nattie answered, "The way you said your last name before your first name is something Chinese and Japanese people usually do. And the fact that you can read the mug probably means that you can speak Japanese too, am I right?"

The pink-haired woman looked down into her cup, as if thinking about the conclusion Nattie had come to. "I guess it makes sense."

"Well, that certainly clears up a lot of things." Nattie said, drinking the last bit of cocoa, "The Japanese are very unique people. And your English is a little accented."

"Where is Japan?"

The brunette looked at Luka unbelievingly, "Did you just ask me where Japan is?"

Luka nodded, "I'm sure I've heard of it, but I just can't seem to remember where it is."

"Japan is across the world, on the other side of the Pacific Ocean," Nattie explained, "It's beside Korea."

"On the other side of the world?" the woman asked in an astonished voice, "Then how did I get here?"

"I don't know. How did you get here?"

"Well, I…" Luka paused, "I remember there was a door, and a flash of light. I'm sure there were some noises too, something like beeping and clicking. After that, I don't remember anything until I ran into you."

Scratching the back of her head with a sigh, Nattie exhaled, letting her shoulders drop. This definitely was a problem that couldn't be solved in one night. "Are you done with your cocoa?"

Luka took one more sip before handing the cup over to Nattie, who placed them in the sink and filled them with water. She would get to it in the morning.

"I'm guessing you don't have a place to stay,"

The woman shook her head slightly.

"Alright then…" Nattie said, rubbing her shoulder, "I guess you can stay here until we get this thing straightened out. Do you have any other clothes?"

"I don't think so."

"I guess you can borrow some of mine too."

Luka watched as the brunette disappeared into the door in the hallway, coming out with a pale green pyjama set, a pillow and a blanket. "Here, you can wear these for tonight. The bathroom is the door at the end of the hallway. You can change in there."

The woman took the clothes and nodded, "Thank you very much,"

"And, eh, I guess I could stay on the sofa tonight." She said, holding up the pillow and blanket.

At that suggestion, Luka stiffened. "No, please, let me sleep on the couch. This is your house, and I already feel bad about borrowing your clothes and staying the night. Please."

Nattie sighed again, "Alright, fine, if that's what you want." She placed the blanket and pillow beside Luka, "My room is the door on the right. If you need anything, just wake me up." She then pointed to the light switch beside the door, "I'll leave it to you to shut the lights. It shouldn't be too dark; the windows are open and the moon's pretty bright tonight."

Luka nodded again, "Thank you very much for this."

With a slight shrug, Nattie grabbed her headphones and MP3 and walked towards her room, "Don't mention it."

Just as she entered her room, the brunette, paused, taking a final peek at the strange pink-haired woman on her sofa. She was running her hand through over the fabric of the pyjamas as if the clothes were alien to her. With a shake of her head, Nattie entered the small room, shutting the door behind her.

_Curiouser and curiouser…_

* * *

**Authoress' Notes**

_Kingstown _and _Sanders_ are fictional places. Pretend they're both somewhere in Canada or America, if you will.

Written for Luka's second anniversary. Updates from now on will be random and sporadic.

_**Please Read and Review.**_


	2. Act Two: A Pink Haired Purpose

**Act Two**

_A Pink-Haired Purpose

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_

When Nattie woke up the next day, she was immediately greeted with the smell of bacon and eggs. Kicking the blanket off her, she rushed outside, wondering who in blue hell would be in her house cooking breakfast.

"Good morning,"

Blinking a few times, Nattie remembered that she had taken in the strange pink-haired woman out of pity the night before. She glanced at the couch, noticing that the pillow was set on top of the neatly folded blanket, while the green pyjama set she lent her last night was beside the blanket, also folded.

"Good morning," Nattie replied, walking towards the kitchen. Luka had a spatula in her hand, while expertly flipping the frying pan with the other. She had dressed herself in her clothes, except for the armbands, right-arm sleeve and headphones. Those lay beside the pyjamas.

"I made breakfast. I hope you don't mind," the pinkette replied, sliding the eggs from the pan to a clean plate.

"Uh, no, I guess, thank you." the brunette said, looking at the plates of bacon and toast on the dining table. Two plates were set out, one with milk and another with an empty glass.

"I didn't know what you liked to drink in the morning, so I left it empty," Luka said, brining the eggs from the kitchen and placing them beside the bacon.

Nattie shrugged, "I drink anything. I'll just have vegetable juice." She said, taking the glass and opening the small fridge, pouring the juice from a carton inside. Walking back to the table, Nattie took her seat opposite of Luka as the pink-haired woman began to eat a piece of toast.

Reaching for the plate of bacon, Nattie took her fork and speared three slices of it, and then scooping up a spoonful of eggs. She looked at the food on her plate hesitating ever so slightly before finally digging in. It wasn't that she didn't trust Luka…okay, _fine_; she didn't exactly trust the woman. But the bacon smelled so good, and the eggs were so…perfect. She couldn't resist.

Taking a small bite out of the bacon, Nattie's green eyes widened in shock.

"Wow, this is amazing," she complimented, taking a bite out of the eggs, "And the eggs too! You're an amazing cook."

A small smile appeared on Luka's face, "Thank you."

"How did you learn to cook so well?" Nattie asked in between bites of the food and sips from the juice.

The woman shrugged slightly, "Well, I guess I've always been taking care of the others back home. I just learned."

"The others? Do you have siblings?"

"I guess you could say they're kinda my siblings. We look nothing alike though." Luka replied with a chuckle, "I'm the third eldest, but my older sister is a drunk and my older brother is a pushover, so I'm usually the one in charge. Now that I'm gone, I don't know what they're doing without me. The little ones are probably wrecking havoc." She added, causing Nattie to grin slightly, "What about you? Any siblings?"

The brunette shook her head, "None. I'm on my own."

"I don't mean to pry, but how long have you been living by yourself?"

"Eh, a year or so, I guess," Nattie answered after taking a drink of her juice, "I saved up some money to move, and I work part-time to pay the rent."

A silence passed over the two, broken only by the sound of eating.

"Eto…Nattie?" Luka asked after a while, "Would it be okay if I took a shower?"

"Hm? Oh, go ahead. You already know where the bathroom is, right? Just turn the knob left for hot water, and right for cold. Pull the plug on the tap to turn the shower on. Towels are in the small closet beside the bathroom door."

Luka nodded, standing up and taking her empty plate and glass. "Thank you," she said, and then stopped, looking at the near-empty plates of bacon and eggs. "Should I put the eggs and the bacon on one plate?"

Nattie waved her hand, "Don't worry about it. I'll take care of the clean up. Thanks for the breakfast."

"Thank you for letting me stay," the pinkette replied, placing the dishes in the sink before walking towards the bathroom. As the door closed, Nattie exhaled and leaned back on the chair. She ran a hand through her messy hair, eventually pushing the chair away from the table with her feet. Standing up, she began to clear the table as the sound of running water came from the bathroom.

She had just woken up, and she already knew this day was going to be long.

* * *

The water was calming as Luka stood beneath the running shower. She ran her hands through her wet hair, attempting to untangle the countless knots that had formed from all the commotion she had endured in the last few hours.

She felt bad about lying to Nattie. After all she had done for her; she had paid her back by lying straight to her face. It killed her inside.

But, if she did know that _Megurine Luka_ didn't exist and was only a computer program designed to mimic human singing, she knew it would never be believed. And she needed to help Nattie.

She had been given a physical body, not an android, but a _real, physical body_, for the sole purpose of helping the girl. She had been picked amongst the others because she was the most level-headed. She was a quick thinker, logical, and motherly. Not only that, but she could speak English, which was a crucial advantage she had over the others. How could one communicate with someone unless they understood each other?

With a sigh, Luka shut the water off, reaching through the shower curtains for the small towel that hung off the rack. Hopefully, Nattie would fall for the semi-amnesiac character she had been asked to portray. Luka was never that great at acting, and the possibility that she would be found out continued to linger in her mind. If Nattie _did_ find out…what was going to happen? She knew she couldn't return until her task was finished…and the Master didn't give her a way to get back otherwise. It was a good thing Nattie lived in a part of the world where no one knew of _their_ existence, otherwise it would have been difficult to complete her task without being noticed and recognized.

So until her job was finished, she needed to keep the charade up. For both their sakes.

Still, the fact that Nattie had figured out so quickly that she was Japanese was unsettling. It was unbelievably stupid of her to point out the Japanese on the cup. What was she thinking? Nattie was smart, much smarter than Luka first anticipated. If this was going to work, she had to get her act together. No more slip-ups.

A knock on the door shook Luka from her thoughts.

"Ah, hey, Luka?" Nattie called from outside, "I got you something to wear."

Stepping out of the shower and onto the bathmat beside the door, Luka unlocked it and opened it slightly, enough to peek her head through.

"I'm sorry?" she asked.

Nattie held out a white summer dress, with two light strips of lace which made up the sleeves. She had already changed from her sleepwear into a pale green cardigan over a white shirt and jeans. "Well, if we're going to find out how to get you back to Japan, you can't go outside wearing your clothes. You'd stick out like a sore thumb." She said, handing the dress through the door. "Oh, and I found these in my closet. Don't worry; they're unopened, because, you know, it would be disgusting otherwise." She said, handing over a pack of unopened…panties.

Panties?

Oh…that's right, she had a human body now. She had woman parts that needed covering too. Goodness, Nattie was a brilliant girl.

Reaching through the small crack in the door, Luka took the dress and the pack.

"Thanks," she said, before closing the door to inspect the dress properly, placing the unopened underpants on the closed toilet seat. The dress was loose and flow-y, very lacy and feminine. She didn't think Nattie would be a person who would own something as girly as the dress. But she did make a point though; she needed to blend in, which was already difficult due to her pink hair. If anything, she could always blame it on a bad dye job…

No, she already said her hair was natural yesterday. She really needed to maintain the lies.

Hanging the dress on the hooks behind the door, Luka gathered her hair, still clinging to her back, and flipped it over her head, wrapping it in a towel. She unzipped the dress and stepped into it, pulling it over her chest and slipping her arms through the lace sleeves. The bottom of the dress reached just above her knees, and the stitching beneath her bust actually was very nice. Taking the pack of underpants, Luka turned it a few times, as if examining it.

She had never worn panties before. After all, what computer program wore undergarments anyway? She was drawn with short, black panties in her official illustrations, but that was pretty much it.

When she came back, she might have to ask for underpants, especially with that slit in her skirt.

Opening the package, she reached for the first pair and pulled them on under her dress. They felt…awkward, but they were necessary if she was to stay in this world. She smoothed out her dress and looked in the mirror, untying the towel around her hair and letting the pink tumble past her shoulders.

Hm, the dress was pretty nice. Maybe she could find a wreath of flowers to put on her head…no, that was silly.

She spun around slightly, her dress and hair fanning out as she twirled. As she did so, her hair, as it always did, managed to dry, untangle and perfectly set itself in its desired state. Nodding her approval at her new 'very human' appearance, Luka unlocked the door and exited the small bathroom, flipping her hair once more just in case.

Setting her hair without the aid of hair products and brushes was a talent she spent twenty-something years perfecting.

Nattie was on the sofa, sitting on the opposite side of the blanket and clothes she had placed. Her feet were propped up on the side as her head lay on the cushion, her hair tumbling off the side as a different pair of pale green headsets kept her bangs back. Noticing that her guest had left the bathroom, Nattie propped herself into a proper sitting position and studied the pink-haired woman.

"The dress looks really good on you," she remarked, pulling her headphones down in that familiar motion, "Better than on me."

Luka smiled slightly, "I'm sure it's not that bad." She said, reaching for her own pair of headsets.

In an instant, her host reached out and lightly slapped Luka's hand away, picking up the brown-and-gold headpiece with her free hand, "No, bad, what are you doing?"

"I'm going to put my headset on," Luka replied with a confused look on her face, "I always have my headsets on. My head feels so empty without them. And I use them to keep my hair out of my face."

"Not with these, you won't," Nattie said, taking the headphones with her as she hopped off the couch and disappeared into her room. After a few minutes, she came out without them, but with another piece of accessory for the woman to wear. "Here," she said, handing the thick, flat headband to Luka, "Your head won't feel empty, it'll keep your hair away, _and_ it won't ruin that innocent-girly-girl look you seem to be pulling off."

Luka stared at the object in her hand as Nattie pulled her own headphones on and proceeded to put her shoes on, "Well, don't just stand there, we have things to do. Especially finding a way to get you back to Japan."

With a sigh, Luka placed the headband on her head, pushing a bulk of her hair back, save for the usual fringe that framed her face.

_What was Nattie planning…

* * *

_

**Authoress' Notes**

The second chapter is a little...boring, so to speak. I needed to stabilize both Nattie and Luka's personalities, so I took this chapter to do so. Luka's purpose and motivation have been revealed now, and I hope I haven't disappointed anyone.

Anyway, I have set up a contest for anyone willing to help me with the story. In this chapter, I have discreetly hidden _five_ references to Luka's songs. Anyone who can find them, or most of them, will receive a prize.

Good luck!

_**Please Read and Review.**_


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